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I roll my shoulders back, concerned that Mara is taking advantage of my naiveté. “Who’s having sex?”

She glares at me like I’m dense. “The king and his knights. If they can’t marry, it means the king has them all to himself.”

My brows furrow. “But that’s not—That doesn’t make any sense.”

Men don’t have sex with men. I’m almost sure.

Mara laughs, but it’s louder and lasts longer than any laugh should, and the difference makes the sound rather unkind. “You’re kidding, right? Just look at Cary and Misha.”

The two men smile at each other, in the secret way lovers do, but I’ve never seen any of the triplets look at the Shadow King with adoration—or even admiration. If anything, they always seem a bit…put off by their monarch’s presence.

People with secrets think of gossip as an enemy, but it’s actually the opposite. Gossip dilutes the truth, rips it to shreds, and scatters it in the wind of a stranger’s breath until it's lost for good.

That’ll teach me to listen to the musings of a drunk tattler.

Chapter 20

Three Black Eyes

Isleep in the next day and cut my first run of the day short when I spot the newly returned hunters installing a thick mattress from the gym in the clearing between the balcony and the Hawthorn.

Lori and James wave me under the shade of the sacred tree, and I dash over to them, my long ponytail braid swinging at my back. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Combat training,” James answers.

A mischievous smirk glazes Lori’s lips, my friend wearing the hunters’ uniform for the first time since we’ve met. “It’s more than combat training. It’s a contest.”

I wipe off the beads of sweat pearling on my forehead with my sleeve. “What are the rules?”

“No weapons allowed, but other than that, anything goes. The goal is to throw your opponent off the mat. Two fighters go at a time, and the winner gets to choose the next two. Losers are eliminated, and the last man or woman standing gets to lead the next great hunt.”

I swallow hard.

Lori nudges my shoulder playfully with her fist. “Don’t worry, Old World. It’s not open to seeds, only hunters.”

“I’m so glad that nickname is catching on,” I grumble, sarcasm thick in my voice.

The big guy, Jo, jumps over a tall rock and shows off two pieces of crumpled paper. “Lori and Cary go first.”

“Here goes.” With an elastic band tucked between her teeth, she brushes back her black waves. “Wish me luck.” She ties them neatly at the back of her neck and pulls up a black scarf over her head, leaving only her eyes uncovered.

Her mood is much improved from last night, and I’ve never seen her looking so…alive. The arrival of the big group shifted the entire atmosphere in the castle. Such a big, inviting space should never be left so empty.

Her opponent, Cary, runs away from his friends with a big grin on his face before turning toward us. “Heyyo, Lori! I’m over here! Come meet my fists, comrade.” He jumps dramatically and lands on the corner of the mattress, making a circular movement with his arms like he’s struggling to keep his balance, and finally salutes his audience. “Who wants to bet on how many black eyes I can give Lori?”

“One,” Mara says, using her hands to amplify her voice.

Jo holds three fingers above his head. The leader sits on a flat rock with his black shirt rolled up to his elbows, and an elusive smile appears on his lips. “I say Lori wins with three.”

James leans closer to my ear. “How do you get three black eyes?”

I shake my head, at a total loss.

The two hunters on the mattress circle each other.

Mara and Two are huddled close together on the opposite side of the fight, clearly engrossed in their conversation, but I force my gaze back to the sparring session. Cary’s loud insults blur together, his strategy clearly to distract Lori, his foul mouth blasting a whole lot of nonsense.

Lori seems unaffected by even the most vulgar jab as she glides out of his reach and avoids the first series of attacks, never letting him get close to her. The crowd reacts to her smooth escapes with loud ooohs and ahhhs, making it hard for Cary to concentrate. He finally loses patience and jumps to grab her.